On Sunday nights when I'm remiss about the weekend coming to a close, I'll sneak a peek at what's playing on Masterpiece Theater. About two months back, I caught a bit of Jane Eyre. Not having read the book, I didn't know it was JE, but then they kept mentioning her name. It drew me in so much so that I decided I must read the book and quickly turned off the movie as not to ruin the plot.
Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down. It's well written. Charlotte Brontë created quite a character in Jane Eyre. You get to know Jane well, her motivations and her conviction. She transforms into a strong and independent woman. It's compelling psychologically and romantically. Now that I've read it, I've checked out (love the library) the 2 disc Masterpiece Theater production. It runs 228 minutes.
I'm only an hour in and following are my impressions. Be warned, some of the following may be considered spoilers:
- Movie skips much of Jane's youth early on. In the movie, she's shipped off to the boarding school almost immediately. This may be okay (depending on what happens later) but the beginning is where you get a sense for Jane's suffering and what she's been through from a very early age that makes her who she is.
- A mere 18 minutes into the DVD, Jane is arriving at Thornfield Hall to become Adele's governess.
- In the book, Mr Rochester is described as unattractive and almost ugly, but in the movie Rochester is HOT, but is still not supposed to be! But, just look at him.
There is nothing even remotely unattractive about him. He is arrogant and brusque, but not without his charms. I didn't think him as brusque in the book but he does come off as quite a bastard in the movie, at least initially.
Time will tell how it will play out. I'm particularly interested in how the movie will portray the Bertha situation.
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